On Tuesday, MiddCORE headed up to Vermont Public Radio for a field trip to work with Jane Lindholm, host of VPR’s noontime Vermont Edition, on the interviewing process. The show seems to run effortlessly, but students soon learned that behind the scenes an orchestrated team fields calls, sets up questions, and feeds IM messages to Lindholm all as she articulates thoughtful questions and listens to the interviewee and callers.

After Lindholm wrapped up Tuesday’s Vermont Edition on revenue generated from break open tickets, rodent poisons, and curling, she spent about two hours helping MiddCORE students understand what makes for a good interview. She demonstrated an interview with Hugh Marlow, and the students had the opportunity to dissect and discuss the process.

Lindholm also talked to MiddCORE students about the most relevant interview they often face: the job interview. Her number one suggestion for all interviewees is to be honest. “If you don’t know an answer, it is okay to say you don’t know. Don’t try and talk your way through something you don’t know. The person interviewing you will see right though you,” she advised.

The session wrapped up with Lindholm explaining that radio interviewers worst fear is also their best asset. Dead air is terrifying for an interviewer, but it often helps to produce the best answers. People need a little time to think about their answers, and if the interviewer cuts them off too quickly, they’ll lose the gems they were about to reveal. This also holds true in a job interview. It’s okay to think about your answers so you can better articulate what you are about to say.

There is nothing like being in the production room with Ric Cengeri, Patti Daniels, and Jane Lindholm, some of the most famous people in Vermont talk radio.